Peter Capaldi, star of The Thick of It and In The Loop, is writing, directing and presenting a BBC4 mockuumentary about the fictional stars of the Cricklewood Film Studios.
Cricklewood Greats will follow Capaldi paying homage to the fictional early silent movie experiments of Arthur Sim, through the 1930s comedies of Florrie Fontaine and into its glory years, culminating in the filming of Terry Gilliam’s Professor Hypochondria’s Magical Odyssey, which finally destroyed the studios in the early 1980s.
Gilliam will be one of the talking heads in the one-off project, as will actress Marcia Warren.
Capaldi said: “It’s weathered many a storm but the British film industry is, thankfully, still afloat. However, more than a few souls have been thrown overboard along the way and I’m therefore delighted that BBC4 has allowed me to explore the lives of some of these now forgotten icons of British cinema.
“Finally, the role of Cricklewood Studios and its greats will be recognised. It’s a privilege to be able to shine the spotlight on them once more.”
Commissioned by BBC4 controller Richard Klein and comedy controller Cheryl Taylor, Cricklewood Greats will be executive produced by Paul Schlesinger as an in house production. Adam Tandy will produce.
This story was originally published by Broadcast.
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